Outreach Room Christmas Food Drive, by Pastor Jon Donohue

In Luke 4, Jesus shared with the synagogue at Nazareth what his mission would be in the world. Quoting Isaiah, he began by saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.” Our mission as the church has not shifted from this point. In the same way Jesus came to bless and bring good news to the poor, we have embraced that mission as well. In December, East Hills and The Grove did a wonderful job advancing that mission in a very practical way. The Outreach Room at Monticello Middle School engaged in its annual food drive to help meet the needs of students and families who are in desperate need of food over the Christmas holidays. Through your generosity we collected about thirty large boxes of food which went a long way to provide food for over ninety families in need in our community.

On the evening of December 16, members of connection groups and others in the church met over at the Monticello Outreach Room to help organize the food into individual boxes to be distributed to families. In the past this event took upwards of 24 hours. Because of the help of those who participated, the task was completed in just about one hour. It was also a fun time for members of the church and community to serve together.

The following evening, volunteers from the church and community helped deliver the food boxes to families in need. Each family was very thankful for the support and assistance it received heading into the holidays. Thank you so very much to each of you who helped through giving, packing, and serving at this year’s Outreach Room Christmas Food Drive. Because of you, the mission of Christ to bring hope and good news to the poor was advanced.